Labor & Employment Law

IAM Ratifies Agreement with Alaska Airlines?and More Bargaining News

By Belinda Boyce

The Machinists ratified a new three-year contract with Alaska Airlines?and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,300 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.

SETTLEMENTS
IAM, Alaska Airlines: Members of the Machinists (IAM) District 143 ratified a new three-year contract with Alaska Airlines. The agreement covers some 2,600 clerical, office and passenger service workers and includes wage increases and job security protections.

USW, Vale Inco: After 17 months on strike at Vale Inco’s nickel mine in Voisey’s Bay, Canada, 130 members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9508 ratified a new five-year deal that provides wage increases. It also includes language to restrict contracting out work.

WORK  STOPPAGES
USW, U.S. Steel: In Canada, hundreds of people took to the streets of Hamilton to protest U.S. Steel’s lockout of 900 USW members nearly three months ago. The company locked the workers out last November after they rejected major concessions on pensions.

NEGOTIATIONS
IBEW, Hawaiian Electric Co.: Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1260 reached a tentative agreement with Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO) last Monday, just hours before a midnight strike deadline. Local 1260 represents nearly 1,300 HECO workers on five islands.

Multiple, Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail: The National Mediation Board (NMB) at the end of January released a coalition of nine unions from mediation with the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, after the unions rejected an offer of binding arbitration. Though the release from mediation triggers a 30-day countdown, after which workers may strike, TCU/IAM said it expects the White House will appoint a Presidential Emergency Board before the 30 days expire.

NNU-MSNA, Eastern Maine Medical Center: No progress was made in contract talks last Monday between the Maine State Nurses Association-NNU (MSNA-NNU) and the Eastern Maine Medical Center. MSNA-NNU says the hospital is unwilling to budge on its proposals. MSNA-NNU’s 850 members have been working without a contract since September.

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for your information only.  As it is compiled from published news reports, not from individual unions, we cannot vouch for either its completeness or accuracy; readers who desire further information should directly contact the union involved.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on February 07, 2011 (boomark / email).